Reviewing the talk given to us
by skilled illustrator Ben Tallon, who is a previous graduate from our course,
helped me to understand more about the creative industry and to calm my fears
about my own work and current situation as a student illustrator. I found it
incredibly helpful and perceptive, he discussed many points and areas about
getting into the industry, his own personal experience and advice on what might
help us start out.
One of the most useful points
he made was that you don’t have to find your style before graduating and
explained that his iconic style didn’t emerge until years after graduation,
which was one of my biggest issues as I haven’t discovered my own style yet. He
advised looking at illustrator’s work we admired and to take inspiration from
them but not copy them, saying there was a big difference between copying
something which isn’t your work and using aspects from it to enhance and build
on your own style.
One of the most important
points Ben Tallon made was that the best thing you can do is go meet clients in
person as they can get to know you and you can pitch to them, although you will
tend to have as little as 30 seconds to catch their interest as many are
extremely busy. He entertained us about this point in particular describing his
own experience where he invited himself to a client’s house for dinner. You also
have to continuously work on new material and keep clients updated with what
your new work looks like and what you are capable of. He stated that you need
to keep putting yourself out there to attract attention, ask around magazines, newspapers
and other media types and to not take silence as a no, just that the person may
be too busy to have seen your letter or email straight away.
I found Ben’s talk extremely
inspiring and enlightening. It put my mind at ease knowing I don’t have to have
a distinct style just yet and helped me to understand the industry better, which
I am extremely grateful for.
(355 words)
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